We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
A new study estimates 2.5 million children under age 12 in California are at risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Smoking cigarettes produces changes in the lungs that are similar to those seen in cystic fibrosis patients, according to a new study.
Yearly chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer do not reduce the death rate for the disease, a new study concludes.
A federal judge has extended a temporary ban on a Missouri college’s mandatory drug testing program.
Vermont police do not have access to the state’s prescription monitoring database, although the program receives funds from the federal Department of Justice.
The demand for cheap cigarettes in New York has fueled a large underground market, law enforcement officials say.
Florida’s prescription drug trafficking law requires mandatory minimum sentences to be based on the total weight of the drugs found in someone’s possession, not the amount of controlled substance in the pills.
A Missouri judge has declared a mistrial in a $700 million lawsuit against tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris.
CT scans used to look for signs of lung cancer may also pick up early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in men with a history of heavy smoking.
Voters in Washington state are considering a measure that would change the way liquor is sold, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Each day, nearly 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Karen H. Perry, Executive Director of NOPE Task Force, explains the importance of safeguarding your medicines at home.
States are using prescription databases to deter “drug tourists” who travel to Florida and other states to load up on prescription painkillers and sell them across state lines.
The Food and Drug Administration has determined the smoking cessation drug Chantix is no more likely than nicotine patches to cause psychiatric events that require hospitalization.
A federal judge has temporarily halted a Florida law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug test before they are able to receive benefits.
A new study links heavy alcohol consumption with a greater risk of developing lung cancer.
Major League Baseball is considering whether to issue a ban on alcohol in baseball clubhouses following reports of beer drinking in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse this season.
Wal-Mart has announced it is significantly raising health insurance premiums for many employees who smoke.
The type of care veterans receive for substance use disorders and mental illness varies around the country, according to a new study.
An unknown number of blank prescription pads have been stolen from hospitals in New York City since 2008. The thefts are thought to be linked to gangs selling prescription painkillers illegally.
With an explosion of science suggesting that treatment can work, including laboratory-demonstrated evidence based practices, how do we get those treatments into the hands of our treatment counselors, asks Adam C. Brooks, PhD, a research scientist at the Treatment Research Institute.
Some medical marijuana shops in central California have closed down following a letter from federal prosecutors threatening their landlords with legal action.
The Director of Mississippi’s Bureau of Narcotics says the state’s law requiring prescriptions for the cold medicine pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine, has reduced the number of meth labs in the state.
Young people who begin using heroin generally are unaware of the drug’s dangerous effects, according to a new study.
One in five songs that are popular with teens have explicit references to alcohol, and one-quarter of these songs mention a specific brand, a new study finds.
School nurses can help some teens—especially boys—quit smoking through counseling, but the results tend to be short-lived, a new study suggests.